Baltimore Ravens News & Rumors

Odafe Oweh Surprised By Timing Of Ravens-Chargers Trade

When Odafe Oweh woke up in Baltimore on Tuesday morning, he had no idea he would end the day on the opposite side of the country playing for a different team.

In the afternoon, Oweh found out that the Ravens had traded him to the Chargers for safety Alohi Gilman, and less than 24 hours later, he was practicing in Los Angeles.

“Initially I was shocked with how everything happened,” Oweh said on Wednesday (via Chargers editorial director Eric Smith). “I had no prior knowledge to what was going on.”

Later, however, Oweh mentioned (via ESPN’s Kris Rhim) that he was more surprised by the timing of the trade than the fact that it happened at all. He discussed an extension with the Ravens in the offseason, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, but talks did not get far. At that point, Oweh knew that 2025 would be his last year in Baltimore. The Ravens felt the same way and were not planning to re-sign him after the season, per ESPN’s Dan Graziano.

“I definitely didn’t think it was gonna happen before the [Ravens’ Week 7] bye,” Oweh added, but he indicated that he was not caught completely off guard by the move.

Though the two teams’ head coaches are brothers – Jim and John Harbaugh – the relationship between their general managers was largely responsible for the deal. Chargers GM Joe Hortiz worked under Ravens GM Eric DeCosta for several years before he moved to Los Angeles last offseason. The Harbaughs did not talk until after the trade was completed, per Zrebiec.

Both Oweh and Gilman are expected to suit up for their new teams in Week 6.

Traded Draft Picks For 2026

Many months remain before teams know where they are picking in the 2026 draft, but many clubs have made moves to acquire 2026 draft capital. Headlined by the Browns, Rams and Cowboys’ efforts, here are the 2026 picks to have changed hands thus far. When more deals involving picks are made (or conditions on moves already completed become known), that information will be added.

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Ravens, Chargers Swap OLB Odafe Oweh, S Alohi Gilman

The Harbaughs are making a deal. The Ravens are trading edge rusher Odafe Oweh to the Chargers in a pick-swap exchange also involving Alohi Gilman, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo report.

Baltimore will trade Oweh and a 2027 seventh-round pick to Los Angeles for Gilman and a 2026 fifth-rounder, ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds. This will move a former first-round pass rusher to a Chargers team missing Khalil Mack on the edge. Oweh is tied to a fifth-year option; no substantive extension talks are believed to have occurred between he and the Ravens.

[RELATED: 2025 NFL Trades]

This trade, 12 years after Jim and John Harbaugh agreed on an Anquan Boldin swap when Jim was with the 49ers, also reunites Oweh with Chargers GM Joe Hortiz. The Bolts hired Hortiz from the Ravens; he was Baltimore’s director of player personnel when the team drafted the outside linebacker in 2021.

Oweh is tied to a $13.25MM fifth-year option salary. It has not been reported the Ravens will pick up any of that tab, with Schefter adding the AFC North team will save around $8MM with this trade. Gilman is tied to a prorated $3.5MM base salary, giving the Ravens some flexibility as they attempt to recover from a disastrous defensive start. While it is a bit surprising to see the Ravens give up on a former first-round pick who played well in 2024, Oweh is unsigned beyond this season.

Baltimore did not re-sign Matt Judon after franchise-tagging him in 2020, leading to the Oweh draft choice, and the team did not bring back Jadeveon Clowney in 2024. The Ravens ahve searched for a long-term OLB piece post-Judon, using Oweh and veteran stopgaps — Kyle Van Noy the most notable — during this period. Baltimore picked up Oweh’s option in April 2024 and then saw him post a 10-sack season also including 23 QB hits. Both were runaway career-high marks for Oweh, but he does not have a sack yet in 2025 (Oweh does rank 33rd in 2025 pressure rate, per TruMedia). The Chargers will still bet on the sporadically productive pass rusher.

This trade comes as both the Harbaugh-led teams are trending downward. As our Ely Allen detailed Sunday night, the Ravens are mired in a historically bad defensive stretch. The injury-wrecked unit has fallen from ninth last season to 32nd through five games. John Harbaugh reaffirmed Zach Orr‘s DC status, but at 1-4 and with Lamar Jackson sidelined with a hamstring injury, the Ravens are well off course. The Chargers have lost back-to-back games, seeing O-line injuries pile up. They will say goodbye to Gilman, who played in three-safety sets alongside Derwin James and Elijah Molden under DC Jesse Minter.

The Ravens have played without Van Noy at points this season, and while the aging EDGE returned in Week 5, Baltimore still dropped a 44-10 game to Houston. The Ravens have six sacks as a team, with Tavius Robinson — a 2023 fourth-round pick who supplanted Oweh in the starting lineup — delivering two of those. The team will lean on Robinson moving forward. Robinson’s rookie deal runs through 2026; Van Noy (34) is signed through season’s end.

Oweh, who will turn 27 before season’s end, started 23 games from 2021-24. The Ravens showed modest extension interest, but no deal was believed to be close this offseason. That set up a pivotal contract year for the Penn State product. He will now finish that out in Los Angeles, as the Chargers will pair Oweh with Tuli Tuipulotu and Bud Dupree for the time being. Mack’s dislocated elbow is not viewed as a season-ending injury, so the 3-2 Bolts should be able to roll out a Mack-Tuipulotu-Dupree-Oweh quartet later this season.

How Oweh fares during his L.A. stint will crystalize his free agency value. If Oweh can bounce back under Minter, he could command a reasonably strong market. After all, he also played an auxiliary role for a No. 1-ranked Ravens defense in 2023. Though, Oweh never eclipsed five sacks in a season prior to 2024. The Chargers will attempt to coax better form as they compete for the AFC West title with the Chiefs and Broncos.

The Gilman move comes a year after the Bolts re-signed him. Early in the Hortiz-Jim Harbaugh partnership’s run, the team brought back the Tom Telesco-era find on a two-year, $10.13MM contract. A former sixth-round pick, Gilman has been a full-time starter over the past three seasons. Gilman’s presence has helped unleash James in a hybrid role at which the All-Pro excels, but Garafolo notes the Ravens wanted him for the same role — for Kyle Hamilton-unleashing purposes. Hamilton and Gilman also played together at Notre Dame in the late 2010s.

Baltimore has been busy at safety today, adding both Gilman and C.J. Gardner-Johnson. The Ravens’ home run with Hamilton aside, they missed on safeties Marcus Williams and Eddie Jackson in recent years. Eric DeCosta was also at the controls for the team’s Earl Thomas misfire. In Gilman, the Ravens have a player who excelled under Jim Harbaugh. Gilman’s deal expires at season’s end.

As I discussed in a recent Trade Rumors Front Office piece, the Chargers had been getting by with a low-cost defense — everywhere but safety, that is. The Bolts had allocated by far the most money to safeties this season, having re-signed Molden on a three-year, $18.75MM deal early this offseason.

With James still on a top-market safety pact, the team will swap out the Gilman money for Oweh’s option price, taking on a few million more than it is sending out. Pro Football Focus slots Gilman 33rd among safeties this season. The Chargers should be expected to turn to ex-Raven (and ex-Ravens scout) Tony Jefferson in Gilman’s place, per ESPN.com’s Kris Rhim.

It is the Ravens who are now flooded in safety investments. Although Gardner-Johnson is starting out on the practice squad, it should be expected the veteran starter debuts for the team soon. Baltimore also used a first-round pick on Malaki Starks. It would stand to reason Gilman would play in three-safety looks in Maryland soon, though it is obviously unclear at this point if he will be in the Ravens’ post-2025 plans.

Ravens Sign C.J. Gardner-Johnson To Practice Squad

Just under two weeks after his short Texans tenure ended, safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson has found a new home. The 27-year-old is signing with the Ravens’ practice squad, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Gardner-Johnson turned in one of the most productive seasons of his career in 2024 during his second stint with the Eagles. He tied a career high with six interceptions over 16 games (all starts) during the regular season and helped the Eagles to a Super Bowl title in the playoffs.

Despite his success in Philadelphia, the team traded Gardner-Johnson and a 2026 sixth-round pick to Houston for offensive lineman Kenyon Green and a 2025 fifth-rounder last March. The move didn’t go according to plan for either club, though, and Gardner-Johnson and Green are now teammates several months later. Green hooked on with the Ravens’ practice squad last week after the Eagles waived him.

Gardner-Johnson is now joining Green after he played just three games with the Texans. He started in each of those contests and logged 15 tackles, but Gardner-Johnson reportedly clashed with Texans teammates and was unhappy with his role in their defense.

The Ravens will be the fourth team for Gardner-Johnson, also a former Saint and Lion. With Houston on the hook for his fully guaranteed 2025 salary, it’s a low-risk move for Baltimore. Several noteworthy injuries, including in the secondary, have been among the main culprits for the Ravens’ stunning 1-4 start. Their defensive backfield lost safety Ar’Darius Washington to a torn Achilles during the spring. Meanwhile, all-world safety Kyle Hamilton is battling a groin injury and could miss his second straight game this week.

With Hamilton inactive last Sunday, the Ravens took a 44-10 beating at the hands of Gardner-Johnson’s previous team, the Texans. The Ravens deployed two rookies at safety in first-round pick Malaki Starks and the undrafted Reuben Lowery. Quarterback C.J. Stroud carved up their secondary, going 23 for 27 for 244 yards and four touchdowns.

The Ravens will face another stiff test this Sunday against the Rams, whose Matthew Stafford-led aerial attack has been elite in 2025. While the Ravens may not have Hamilton, Gardner-Johnson could make his debut. As Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic notes, when Hamilton is ready to return, Gardner-Johnson’s presence should enable him to play closer to the line of scrimmage. That would allow Hamilton to capitalize on his superb skills as a playmaker and run defender.

With Gardner-Johnson in the fold, the Ravens have released defensive tackle Josh Tupou from their practice squad, according to Zrebiec. Tupou played 30 defensive snaps and made three tackles in the Ravens’ loss to the Chiefs in Week 4.

CB Tre Hawkins Drawing Interest

Injuries limited Tre Hawkins to three games last season and left him off the Giants’ roster following training camp this summer. The free agent cornerback is unsigned at this point, but that could soon change.

Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports Hawkins is making progress in his recovery from the hamstring injury he dealt with during training camp. The Giants ultimately waived him with an injury designation, ending his New York tenure but allowing Hawkins to sign with a new team after a specified period. According to Wilson, the list of Hawkins suitors consists of the 49ers, Ravens, Lions, Dolphins and Colts.

Cornerback represents an area of need to varying extents in the case of all five of those teams. Miami moved on from Kendall Fuller (through release) and Jalen Ramsey (through trade) this offseason. The CB spot remained a question through training camp and into the season, and a number of injuries have now piled up. As such, a Hawkins signing could result in immediate playing time.

That is also the case for teams like Indianapolis (with Xavien Howard recently being moved to the reserve/Retired list) and Detroit (with D.J. Reed currently residing on injured reserve). Baltimore’s defense includes several key missing contributors. That includes cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Chidobe Awuzie, both of whom were sidelined yesterday and could miss further game action.

San Francisco’s secondary has seen the likes of Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green handle full-time starting roles as expected. Depth is always sought out in the middle of the season, though, and with a 4-1 record the NFC West leaders represent a logical candidate to pursue multiple additions during the campaign. With nearly $24MM in cap space, the 49ers could certainly afford to take multiple fliers on free agents.

Hawkins, 25, saw part-time usage on defense and special teams during his rookie season. The former sixth-rounder saw his snap share increase to 40% the following year, but he was only available for 89 snaps. Given today’s update, a number of teams certainly see upside in this case in addition to an encouraging outlook on the health front. It will be interesting to see how many visits Hawkins makes over the coming days given his list of suitors.

Ravens Don’t Think Firing DC Zach Orr Is ‘The Answer’

Things have gone from bad to worse in Baltimore. An extremely tough opening slate that included trips to Buffalo and Kansas City in Weeks 1 and 4, not to mention a home matchup with the Lions in Week 3, resulted in a less than ideal 1-3 start. Today’s blowout loss to the Texans has put Baltimore in rare territory as they’ve given up 40 points per game against teams not from Cleveland. Still, defensive coordinator Zach Orr‘s job appears safe for now.

In Week 1, the Ravens looked to be on their way towards a big win over the Bills, going up 40-25 with just under 12 minutes remaining. The Bills rattled off three straight scoring drives to win the game 41-40 and leave the Ravens sitting with a very familiar feeling. Over the last few years, Baltimore has seen several double-digit late-game leads disappear, but these games have usually been outliers.

Despite Mike Macdonald‘s defenses also being susceptible to the occasional late-game collapse, his two years coordinating for the Ravens saw the team give up the third-fewest points in 2022 and the fewest points in 2023. When Orr took over, there appeared to be a bit of a learning curve. Through the first 10 weeks of the season, Baltimore’s defense was 25th in scoring defense, 27th in total defense, and 32nd in pass defense. Orr made adjustments, players stepped up, and over the last six weeks of the season, the Ravens ranked 1st in all three categories to end up with the ninth-best scoring defense and 10th-best total defense in the NFL.

That made the late-game collapse in Buffalo all the more shocking. It seemed Orr had figured things out, but even though there were few personnel changes, it appeared the defense was back to its woeful ways of starting the season slow. A strong Week 2 performance from the defense gave a bit of hope for a quicker rebound than the prior year, but a 38-point outing for Detroit in the Ravens’ house brought some concern back into the picture.

A second factor began to emerge, though. Injuries began to stack up. Highly paid defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike and pass rusher Kyle Van Noy were the first absences that hurt the team’s ability to get to the quarterback. While Van Noy made his return today, Madubuike will miss the rest of the season, and he was joined on injured reserve by his fellow defensive tackle Broderick Washington. Madubuike’s fellow starter on the line, Travis Jones, would avoid IR but was also ruled out in Week 4, leaving a thin defensive front against Patrick Mahomes, a quarterback who thrives on extending the play.

The game against the Chiefs saw several additional injuries take out one starter after another. Already down three starters to open the game, at some point linebacker Roquan Smith and cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins all left the game. Injuries to left tackle Ronnie Stanley and star quarterback Lamar Jackson also affected the offense’s ability to give the defense a rest with long drives, leaving a depleted, exhausted unit on the field in Kansas City.

In today’s matchup against the Texans, five starters (Madubuike, Smith, Humphrey, cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, and star safety Kyle Hamilton) were not available to play. Jackson was held out, as well, resulting in the team’s worst loss since an injury-riddled 2021 campaign.

The 2024 Panthers set a record by allowing the most points in NFL history (534); the Ravens are on pace to allow 602. The 1966 Giants hold the all-time record for most points allowed per game, giving up 501 points in a 14-game season for a 35.79 average; Baltimore is currently allowing 35.4.

The issue could absolutely be on Orr’s shoulders. The early issues against Buffalo and Detroit can hardly be attributed to injuries, but the litany of injuries in the past two weeks have made it hard to blame the scheme and play-calling. Regardless, when asked, head coach John Harbaugh told the media he “does not think firing Zach Orr is the answer,” per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.

Perhaps some of the short-term injuries quickly subside, and perhaps Orr engineers another midseason turnaround as impressive as the one last year. Whatever the expectation, Harbaugh has put his faith in Orr. If he’s not careful and the Ravens continue to flounder as the season goes on, he may just tie his fate to Orr’s, as well.

Ravens TE Mark Andrews Could Draw Trade Interest

Ravens tight end Mark Andrews surfaced as a trade candidate this offseason, and he generated some interest from other clubs. GM Eric DeCosta clearly did not receive an offer compelling enough to deal the franchise’s receiving TDs leader, but Andrews nonetheless could be on the move in the coming weeks, per Eric D. Williams of Fox Sports.

The Ravens have stumbled to a 1-3 start, and with quarterback Lamar Jackson expected to miss at least the next two games, the prognosis for a turnaround is not favorable. Plus, Andrews is in the final year of his contract, and fellow TE Isaiah Likely – who is five years younger than Andrews and who has established himself as a capable weapon – looks like the club’s future at the position. Likely is in the last year of his rookie deal, and the team reportedly has begun extension talks with his camp.

Likely missed the first three games of the season due to injury, and he failed to record a statistic in the 26 snaps he played in last week’s loss to the Chiefs. Andrews, meanwhile, has secured 15 of 18 passes for 128 yards and two TDs in 2025, though his 8.5 yards-per-reception rate would be the lowest of his career by a wide margin.

Now 30, Andrews has struggled in the playoffs during his Ravens tenure, struggles that include a lost fumble and dropped two-point conversion in last season’s divisional round loss to the Bills. That said, he has been one of the NFL’s preeminent pass-catching tight ends since he broke out with a Pro Bowl campaign in 2019, his second year in the league. He also earned Pro Bowl acclaim in 2021 – he was named a First Team All-Pro that year – and 2022.

As such, teams in need of help at the TE position may continue working DeCosta’s phone. Williams’ source who says Andrews could draw interest does not name a specific club, but the Chargers and Seahawks are speculative fits. Both teams presently profile as deadline buyers and could stand to upgrade their tight end rooms with a proven performer, and both also have ties to the Oklahoma product. 

The Bolts employ former Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman as their OC, and Los Angeles GM Joe Hortiz was Baltimore’s director of college scouting when the Ravens drafted Andrews (to say nothing of the obvious Jim HarbaughJohn Harbaugh connection). Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald was the Ravens’ defensive coordinator from 2022-23.

2025 Injured Reserve Return Tracker

The 2024 offseason brought a change in how teams could construct their 53-man rosters while retaining flexibility with injured players. Clubs were permitted to attach return designations to two players (in total) placed on IR or an NFI list before setting their initial rosters.

In prior years, anyone placed on IR before a team set its initial 53-man roster could not be activated in-season. All August 26 IR- or NFI-return designations, however, already count against teams’ regular-season limit of eight. Teams will be tasked with determining which players injured in-season will factor into activation puzzles as the year progresses.

All players designated for return on August 26 are eligible to be activated beginning in Week 5, though any player placed on IR after a team set its initial 53 has not been designated for return and therefore does not yet count toward a club’s eight-activation limit. Playoff teams will receive two additional injury activations at that point.

Here is how the 32 teams’ activation puzzles look for Week 6:

Arizona Cardinals

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 6

Atlanta Falcons

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 6

Baltimore Ravens

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Activations remaining: 6

Buffalo Bills

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Activations remaining: 6

Carolina Panthers

Designated for return:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 7

Chicago Bears

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 6

Cincinnati Bengals

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 6

Cleveland Browns

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Activations remaining: 7

Dallas Cowboys

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 6

Denver Broncos

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 7

Detroit Lions

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 8

Green Bay Packers

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 6

Houston Texans

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 7

Indianapolis Colts

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 7

Jacksonville Jaguars

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Activations remaining: 7

Kansas City Chiefs

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Activations remaining: 6

Las Vegas Raiders

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Activations remaining: 7

Los Angeles Chargers

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 6

Los Angeles Rams

Activations remaining: 8

Miami Dolphins

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 6

Minnesota Vikings

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 6

New England Patriots

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 7

New Orleans Saints

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 6

New York Giants

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 7

New York Jets

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Activations remaining: 7

Philadelphia Eagles

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 7

Pittsburgh Steelers

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 7

San Francisco 49ers

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 7

Seattle Seahawks

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Activations remaining: 7

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Activations remaining: 8

Tennessee Titans

Activated:

Activations remaining: 7

Washington Commanders

Activations remaining: 8

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/4/25

Here are Week 5’s minor moves and standard gameday practice squad elevations:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Giants

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Huntley will be on hand to back up backup quarterback Cooper Rush in Baltimore tomorrow against the Texans. Okoye is called up for the second week in a row as injuries continue to hamper the Ravens’ defensive line, as well.

With some continuing injuries causing some concern in the secondary, the Browns will elevate Avery and Jones for the second straight week. Jones is being elevated for the third time this season, meaning that if Cleveland wants to see him in another game this year, the team will need to sign him to the active roster. The same is true for Logue in Buffalo, Hewitt with the Giants, Clark with the Jets, and Pili in Seattle.

Arnette’s promotion means Week 5 will mark his first regular season action in the NFL since the end of his Raiders tenure in 2021. The former first-round pick revived his career in part through his performances in the UFL this spring, something which created interest from multiple teams in free agency. Arnette, 29, will look to use tomorrow’s contest in a bid to land a permanent role in Houston.

This is the second time the Jets have parted ways with a kick returner following a game in which they had a costly fumble. Williams follows in footsteps of Xavier Gipson, who was waived following a similar mistake in the team’s season opener. There appears to be a pretty short leash for young returners in New York at the moment.

K Justin Tucker Receiving Interest

Veteran kicker Justin Tucker has received interest from multiple teams as he awaits his reinstatement from a 10-game suspension stemming from 16 allegations of sexual misconduct, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

The accusations came to light at the end of January after the worst statistical season of Tucker’s career. The NFL swiftly opened an investigation, and the Ravens parted ways with their longtime kicker in May after finding his replacement in the draft.

Tucker’s suspension will be lifted on November 11, and he could be a late-season addition to a team with an injured or struggling kicker. Health has never been an issue for Tucker, but his performance dipped over the last three years. He made 91.1% of his field goals in his first decade in the NFL; since 2022, he has an 82.7% make rate including a career-low of 73.3% last year.

The difference has been distance. His conversion percentage from 50-plus yards went from 72.7% in his first 10 years to 53.3% in his last three. Teams will want to see that Tucker still has the booming leg that powered him to seven Pro Bowls and five All-Pro teams.

The Ravens, meanwhile, have been satisfied with the early returns on rookie kicker Tyler Loop, who stepped into Tucker’s role this offseason. Loop has made all seven of his field goal attempts to start the year and 14 of his 15 PATs, though his one miss came in the Ravens’ 41-40 Week 1 loss to the Bills.